Wrapping up the week with an upbeat collection of good news nuggets.
Success Story
Brazil’s iconic golden lion tamarin, found only in the Atlantic Forest, has been saved from extinction with the population rebounding from 200 in 1977 to over 2,000 today. Local conservationists have worked tirelessly for 50 years to protect natural habitat and bolster the population through breeding programs. Work is now underway to protect the other three species - the black lion tamarin, golden-headed lion tamarin, and black-faced lion tamarin.
Learning Curve
Amidst the sound and fury surrounding the global conversation on energy, most journalists are still missing the most important point: solar, wind and batteries are on learning curves, and coal, oil, gas and nuclear aren't. A new analysis of wind and solar farms in the United States for example, has shown that each time the total amount of wind installed doubles, the cost comes down by 15%, and for solar, by 24%.
Hat Wearing Crab
A new species of crab that wears a sponge hat has been discovered off the coast of Western Australia. Meet the Lamarckdromia beagle. The "fluffy" crab has been named after the ship that carried Charles Darwin around the world: HMS Beagle. These crabs trim down sea sponges with their claws and then use them as hats for protection against fish and octopi. Dr Andrew Hosie, a curator of crustacea and worms at the Western Australian Museum, said the crabs have hind legs that are specially adapted for holding their protective hats. The crabs also use the sponges as camouflage. Sometimes the sponges can be bigger than the crab itself.
Ataraxia
A state of freedom from emotional disturbance and anxiety; tranquility.
Lightyear
Dutch company Lightyear has announced that it will start making the world's first production car fitted with solar panels. The Lightyear 0 will have curved solar panels in its roof, hood and trunk that top up the electric battery as it drives (or remains parked) and the first delivery in Europe could be as early as November. The company says the car will be able to drive around 388 miles without stopping to recharge, and will have an additional range of up to 44 miles a day from the solar panels. It sounds great, but is it worth $250,000?
Canada Plastic Ban
Canada is banning the manufacture and import of single-use plastics by the end of the year, in a major effort to combat plastic waste and address climate change. The ban will cover items like checkout bags, cutlery, straws, and food-service ware made from or containing plastics that are hard to recycle, with a few exceptions for medical reasons. It will come into effect in December 2022, and the sale of those items will be prohibited as of December 2023 to provide businesses in Canada enough time to transition and to deplete existing stocks.
Market Signal
Samsung, South Korea’s largest conglomerate, is requiring all its financial subsidiaries to stop investing in coal companies, and Sompo, one of Japan's biggest insurers, says it will stop underwriting new and existing coal around the world. Two really big market signals from where, arguably, it matters most: southeast Asia.
Quote of the Day
"We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorns have roses."
Alphonse Karr
On this Day
24 June 1947: American businessman Kenneth Arnold saw a number of objects “flying like saucers” while piloting a small plane over Mount Rainier in Washington; it was considered the first modern sighting of UFOs and gave rise to the term flying saucer.
Dive in Deeper
Investors believe this new idea is going to lead the charge into next-generation floating wind turbine technology. Read on...
Following OGN's article earlier this month about the dramatic boost in whale traffic on Australia's 'Humpback Highway', here are some recently snapped photos of the majestic beasts en route from the Antarctic to the warmer waters of the Great Barrier Reef to breed or give birth. Read on...
Nature Mood Booster
Spectacular film montage of America's dramatic south west.